visual layout
typography
user experience
typography
user experience
roles
art director, editor, visual designer
tools
InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, laser cutter
timeframe
12 weeks
origin
I have always been curious, but I had never before found myself with such little time to explore new topics. When tasked with curating content for a magazine, I couldn't help but see this as an opportunity to help satisfy my craving for new information.
the reading experience
The magazine intentionally has no focus, the basis for the name Bokeh—a term referring to aesthetic blur in photography. Each issue is envisioned to barrel down a rabbit hole with a running thread. Each article relates to another in the same issue, such as an interview with Björk leading to a spotlight on female pioneers of electronic music, leading to a retrospective of Bell Labs, and so on.
interactivity
Digital works can be very compelling due to the interactivity of the experience. One goal was to bring an interactive component to print media, such as creating stereographic lenses that create a three-dimensional experience that has been around since the Victorian Era.
full magazine
Bokeh Development
demographic
Our readers are explorers and inhabitants of the physical world. Bokeh is dedicated to providing entertaining and informative content which readers may otherwise only encounter after wasting hours of their lives going down rabbit holes and online quagmires. Bokeh is an exercise in curiosity, encouraging deeper dives to those subjects that speak the most to any individual reader.
personas
Personas were developed in order to create a “north star” for the project—points of reference that would inform whether a particular article, spread, or other editorial decision was on brand.
Chip Bitjin, age 16
High School Student
High School Student
Chip is a junior in high school exploring his options for college. He has been busy with his coursework and finding he has less free time. He is often distracted by his phone, and once he picks it up will scroll aimlessly for hours. He is searching for a way to satiate his curiosity with time limits so he can focus on college prep.
He has participated in band, chess club, astronomy club, and finds himself curious about many different possible careers.
Bonnie Day, age 35
Physical Therapist
Physical Therapist
Bonnie has recently graduated with her doctorate in physical medicine and has been working as a physical therapist at a new clinic. She has found that her patients come from many different backgrounds and have a wide variety of interests beyond her own. In order to keep her patients engaged, she finds that she is constantly searching for reliable information on discussion subjects that may be of interest to herself and her patients.
Mike Atan, age 40
Musician
Musician
Mike has always been in the music scene and has experienced the production process from start to finish on writing, performing, recording, and releasing music. He has worked with alongside graphic designers, sound engineers, luthiers, and distributors.
He is often searching for inspiration that can be applied to performances and instrumentation. He buys his music on vinyl because he enjoys the tactile nature of the experience and the engagement necessary in making sure the album gets flipped mid way.
problem
Can we create an entertaining and educational experience for readers with limited time and unlimited curiosity by bringing the experience of traveling down a rabbit hole from the internet to the world of print?
styles
Developing a set of typographic styles and article openers provides a broad sampler of starting points that can be customized based on content.
photography
The magazine makes a point of having reliable sources, so photography needs to reflect professionalism and trust. Due to the diversity of the articles, the photography and imagery will be set to match the subject matter.
spread across mild to wild
A variety of layouts from understated headlines and text with images carrying the spread to full-bleed color pages, with large elements built with text.
icons
Graphic elements would primarily be simple vector-based doodles or symbols representative of article items.
original design stereographic lenses
an interactive experience
Stereographic lenses were custom made and included with the magazine to bring stereographic photography off the page.
original advertising
As an exercise in writing copy for advertising, adverts based on coursework projects were populated into the magazine.
solution
Bokeh succeeds in informing and bringing delight to readers by curating articles with a throughline and incorporating an interactive component to the experience. The layouts allow for the articles to be easy to navigate and read, while the opening spreads and interactive elements entice curiosity.
